Admit it, you just sang that in your head didn’t you? (If you didn’t, go back and try it again. It’s just fun!)

So here we are, the week before Christmas, coming off the month after Thanksgiving, and Halloween kicked us off back in October. There has been A LOT of yummy, decadent, and festive nosh and nibbles hasn’t there?? Don’t you just love it?? Pumpkin everything. Homemade cookies. PIE. And now it’s egg nog time, a personal favorite.

In these times o’ plenty have you found yourself grappling with your food choices?Justifying that extra cocktail or two or the cookies left in the break room or the candy that just seems to appear out of nowhere??

If so, that is totally normal.BUUUUUTTTTTT….

What if saying “SCREW IT! It’s the holidays!” actually backfires in the long run? What if giving yourself permission to go full hog on the treats and sweets this holiday season is really just setting you up to fail?

Now, I know what you are thinking:“Linda, I thought you were all about the non-diet approach? And that restriction leads to overeating/binging down the road? And that trying to control your food is simply dieting and DIETING DOESN’T WORK.”

If you were thinking that, BRAVO, you get a gold star. You are right!! I DO say those things all the time, because they are true and I would never lie to you.

Saying “SCREW IT!” is VERY different than tuning in and eating with pleasure and intention and joy.

Saying “SCREW IT” means you are tuning OUT. You are stepping away from your intuition, what you really want, and giving in to the “all or nothing” mindset that dieting/health has ingrained in all of us. When you peel back the layers of the onion and go DEEP into your subconscious, saying “SCREW IT” really means something more like this:

“Screw it. I am just gonna eat all these yummy Christmas goodies because in January I am going to get really strict. I am not going to eat any sugar for a month. I am going to “detox” and start eating lots of veggies and protein and no carbs.”

OR“Screw it. I am so good all the time so I have earned being a little naughty. The holidays only come once a year and I don’t want to miss out on all the things I love but don’t usually allow myself to have.”

OR“Screw it. I have already had one cookie I might as well have as many as I want now. The day/week/night/month/season is already ruined.”

Saying “SCREW IT” means you are loosening the dieting/restriction handcuffs. And if they were on in the first place than you were already coming from a not-so-great viewpoint with food, and most likely, your body.

Eating the yummy foods of the holiday season can be done in an intuitive and balanced way. Tune in to what you really want vs what is simply in front of you. Understand how sugar may affect your body and eat in accordance when it’s possible (for example I like to have sweets along with a meal/snack instead of alone… but do I ALWAYS follow this guideline, of course not! I’m just a human like you.)

Most of all REMEMBER that you can have any type of food whenever you want. Just because its December doesn’t mean you HAVE to eat all the things. The first few bites are usually the best so keep checking in and asking yourself “am I still enjoying this?”

Wishing you a Happy & Delicious Holiday Season.

PS — just a reminder that my mentor and friend Isabel Foxen Duke just put out an incredible FREE video training series for any of you who may be struggling with “feeling crazy around food.” Ya know, like thinking about food and dieting all day long, only to end up with your fingers in a jar of peanut butter later that evening.

She’s onto something, and one of the few health professionals out there who are really making the connection between poor body image and emotional eating. You can check out her video trailer and sign up for her free training here. [ifd.ontraport.com/t?orid=17252&opid=11]